Overview
- NOAA says there is a high chance this El Niño will be very strong, with forecasts pointing to peak conditions from November into January that could rank among the largest on record.
- Researchers report early-season northward arrivals this summer, including a twofold rise in juvenile white-shark detections from a UC Santa Barbara drone project and multiple yellow-bellied sea snakes washing ashore.
- Scientists expect higher stingray numbers through fall and predict more stingray injuries to beachgoers, noting lifeguards already treat thousands of stingray wounds each year in California.
- State data show shark–human interactions have been historically rare, so experts frame the current threat as a higher likelihood of encounters rather than a large rise in fatal attacks.
- Marine ecologists warn the combined effect of El Niño, the existing heat wave and long-term warming could suppress nutrient upwelling, fuel toxic algal blooms and prolong shifts in fisheries and coastal food webs, as occurred after past strong El Niños.